Stonefish Help Please

[skyhigh222]

hi, i was just wondering if anyone knows whats an estimate price range for a flasher scorpionfish. Someone has one and he is asking 150$ for it. He believes it is a stonefish but I dont think so. Isn't it too high. has anyone seen one for sale before. This fish looks exactly like this fish below. Any experience?Please help.

I don't know how to attach picture. but here is the link
http://www.starfish.ch/photos/fishe...s-Skorpionfische/Scorpaenopsis-macrochir2.jpg

 

[skyhigh222]

here is the picture.

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[FMarini]

This fish you've attached is a scorpionfish, while stonefish are in the same family, this is not a stonefish.

Is this a good price? thats your decision.

Experience w/ scorpionfish absolutely.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-11/hcs3/index.php
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=125749

 

[skyhigh222]

Thanks for the reply, but i would like to know how much this scorpionfish go for. I know this is my decision but there should be some price range for it. I searched online but i didn't find any site that has one for sale. any idea.

 

[LisaD]

it seems high to me. I've never paid that much for any scorp, even rarer ones. the only scorps I've seen regularly in the three digits are Rhinopias. I wouldn't go higher than $80, personally. I don't know what the "range" is, but really, it's got to be whatever the market is. scorps are pretty much oddballs that aren't universally popular. offer what it's worth to you.

 

[skyhigh222]

Thank you. You helped me not to make the wrong decision. I was really surprised buy the price. I thought its expensive because its a Red one. He said the red ones are rare but he seems to be wrong.

 

[FMarini]

While I seldom disagree w/ Lisa, I 'll have to point out here, that the cost of a fish and what we all pay around the globe has NO bearing on what the fish is worth.

The adage "what the market will bear" holds true here. If you think the fish is worth 150, then pay it.

BTW IMHO, we pay way too little for all the fish we keep, While us americans love cheap fish, once limitations/bans on certain marine ornamentals start in the next few years, we'll be happy to pay 100-300 for fish. Just remember banggais cardinals cost 150/ea back in 1996.

 

[skyhigh222]

FMarini, I think we are paying way too much for our fish. There are tons of these fishes in ocean, and divers get them for free. They just spend a little money for the equipment, and that's it. They even make us pay for the shipping, too.

And for this scorpionfish, I didn't find anything online to compare the price with. There is false stonefish for sale, but non of them are red in color. That's why I didn't know if it was worth 150. I think I better stay with my 4 ft honeycomb moray.

 

[FMarini]

Skyhigh--
No offense, but there aren't "tons" of these fish in the sea, in fact fish numbers are pretty finite and in many cases we're getting close to eliminating quite a few of them.
You got to stop thinking that fish are unlimited and that the fish hobby has NO impact on collecting these fish

 

[LisaD]

Frank, I don't think we disagree. what a fish is "worth" is what the market will bear. if I wanted that particular fish, I would pay $150 for it. It's just that the "market" for uncommon scorps doesn't seem to be as large (or as high) as that for angels and tangs...

your point about fish being a limited and endangered resource is a good one. as a former field collector (of freshwater and terrestrial invertebrates), I can also comment that collecting is not easy nor are the animals "free".